I always find it interesting to read a historical novel told from the point of view of a historical figure about which very little is known. It gives a fresh perspective to a story that, even for those of us who are in love with the Tudors, can grow tiresome at times. Brandy Purdy has done this for us in this wonderful book and has done it very well.In The Queen's Pleasure, we get to experience the lives and love of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley through the eyes of Amy Robsart Dudley, and we learn of her life with Dudley as well. Amy is a colorful character who at the same time is very tragic. She is swept up in a life that she thought was going to be very different and all because of politics and power play. Such were the times in Tudor England. Not many were safe from its ill effects. Though Elizabeth's reign was a good and strong one, the constant jockeying for her hand in marriage was ever present and Robert Dudley was right at the center of it. When his ambition took flight, there really was no hope for poor Amy, his wife.All the above aside, what I really want to touch on is Purdy's descriptive and flowing prose. As I was reading, I felt that I was right there experiencing everything along with the characters, especially in the parts that Amy tells. To many, Amy may seem a bit too downtrodden, but I saw more. Purdy has given Amy Robsart life...has given us more than just a woman who was Dudley's wife and who died a suspicious death. We now see that Amy was once a living, breathing person who loved and believed in her husband and ended up betrayed in the end. How many women have been led to believe in a dream, only to be tragically disappointed in the end? Amy speaks for all of those women throughout history.Although my favorite queen, and probably favorite historical figure of all time, is a character here, Amy Robsart is the true star of this book. This is my first read by Ms. Purdy and it will not be my last. Read this book if you love the Tudors, but also read it if you feel for the sad plight of all women through the ages. This is their story, as well as Amy's.
